I’d like to understand what the draw is to Trader Joe’s.
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all of the 'yea’s in this topic are a good place to start 
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So does the attraction distill to some unique products? Is that it?
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I like like going there when I don’t feel like going to a supermarket. They have enough produce, dairy and bakery good to get my by. I like their nuts, chips, dried fruits and oils. They have good prices for these types of basics. Their produce has improved over the years and some of the bakery items are pretty good. I have been shopping there first with my parents and then on my own for 50 years. Even though it was bought out a long time ago I feel comfortable there. The store is small so shopping tends to be fast, the employees are friendly and I don’t mind the music they play.
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Excellent. Thank you!
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Nay the jicama thins. I don’t know if this is a new product or not. I thought they would be nice for stuffing leftovers in for a quick lunch but they where dripping in slime and tasted awful. The date on the package was fine but I have a feeling I got a bad package. Has anyone tried them?
Yea- those tiny chocolate covered icecream filled cones. They are probably pretty expensive for what they are but just the right size for a sweet treat.
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I think there are many people who enjoy the premade foods like salads, dips and fresh and frozen mains. I do not often buy those kind of things but when I have I find them to be much better than what you get at supermarkets. I always have their frozen mac-n-cheese in my freezer for when I don’t want to cook. It is good enough that I rarely make it from scratch anymore.
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Yay, fairly new item
Frozen blueberry/lemon cream biscuits. They come 6 in the pack and their is a packet of lemon cream in the package. They are already baked and just needs heating/defrosting. Could use a few more blueberries but that is nit-picking. They are really good biscuits
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I look at them as a way of overcoming my inability to execute portion control with ice cream. 
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boo… just found out that trader joe’s discontinued their excellent rice pudding.
why, i ask? why?
Well dang, I was in town getting my vaccine and stopped by the Trader Joe’s. Didn’t think to look for this. I love just about anything bluberry, so I would have definitely tried these. I did pick up the mini ice cream cones that every one is raving about. I can’t wait to try one or 4.
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Had the same experience with the jicama thins, truly gross, slimy & just yucky… I planned on taking them back but just never got around to it…
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Hate when that happens. I haven’t bought the rice pudding but there have been a few things discontinued recently that I mourn…lemongrass chicken sticks, peanut butter roundels cookies. It isn’t always a demand problem, I think, especially now with supply chains disrupted.
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the supplier issue occurred to me, as well. of course, if that’s the case, there’s a possibility that it will be back. though, in my experience, when tj’s brings a product back, the quality often doesn’t match that of the original.
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I’ve thought about starting another TJ’s thread to crowdsource information on whether items are discontinued, seasonal, or occasional. Never quite had the energy to do it. But I think we’ve all had the experience of seeing a favorite disappear, and wondering why it’s gone and whether it’s coming back.
I mainly shop TJ’s for semi-gourmet ingredients that aren’t available at my primary store, Aldi, or are too expensive at my local grocery. My personal faves are roasted red peppers, triple creme brie, frozen shelled fava beans (haven’t seen those in a while), frozen breaded eggplant (same), baby bok choy, Greek Kalamata olive oil, plain arugula, peeled beets, toasted hazelnuts, shallots, fennel bulb, dried pappardelle pasta, orange muscat vinegar, a handful of white wines, and more. I also like how TJ’s makes ethnic foods, or it’s interpretations of them, more easily available - things like the new Chakri snack mix, wheat-corn blend tortillas, or frozen gyoza, pelmeni, and dumplings. And then there’s just the fun, plain yummy stuff - dark Russet kettle potato chips, spinach sour cream dip, dark chocolate, etc. It’s a good place to stock your freezer with convenience foods if you’re a busy parent, too.
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Am I the only person who every time they read fava beans, this pops in their head?
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No, you are not the only one.
I’ve never had fava beans, but I kind of feel like they’d be lacking something without the, um, main ingredient.
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Those Italian olive oil breadsticks are totally addictive. Dunked in butter or not.
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